Weekly Daf #114

Saving the Skin

The kohanim who perform the service of offering a korbanolah are entitled to the skin of that animal whose entire
body is burned on the altar. (Vayikra 7:8)

The mishnah on 103a declares that if the flesh of that
korban became disqualified for offering on the altar the
skin does not go to the kohanim but is burned along with
the flesh at a site off the altar. The source for this rule is
the phrase "the olah of a man" which appears
in the above cited passage, a phrase which indicates that the
skin goes to the kohanim only when the olah was
indeed offered on behalf of a man and not when it was disqualified
from the altar.

Two modifications of this rule emerge from cases arising in this
mishnah and the next one:

What if the olah was slaughtered not for the sake of
offering it as an olah but for the sake of shlamim?
At the very outset of Mesechta Zevachim we learned that
such a korban is considered kosher for offering on the
altar but is not considered a fulfillment of the vow made by its
owner, who is required to bring another animal for a korban.
If we interpret "the olah of a man" in the strictest
literal way, the skin of such an animal will not go to the kohanim
because the korban did not serve as the olah of
the man who brought it. But the mishnah rules that the
skin will go to the kohanim, because the requirement of
"olah of a man" is only that the flesh be offered
on the altar, completing the process for which a man had designated
it.

What if the skin was removed from the olah before its
blood was applied to the altar and the flesh became disqualified
in between? In normal circumstances this will not occur because
it is improper to delay the application of the blood until after
flaying. This mishnah therefore categorically states that
if the flesh became disqualified the skin will not go to the kohanim
since the disqualification affected the flesh and skin as one
unit. The next mishnah, however, suggests a situation where
the skin was removed from the flesh before the blood was applied
to the altar and was therefore not affected by the disqualification
of the flesh. In such a case the blood is applied to the altar
and grants sacred status to the skin which is awarded to the kohanim.

Zevachim 103

Respect for Royalty

How should one relate to royalty?

With great respect, say our Sages, and cite two examples from
Scripture.

Rabbi Yannai's model is Moshe Rabbeinu, who said to Pharaoh that
following the plague of the first born "all these, your servants,
shall come down to me and shall bow to me saying: Be gone, you
and your people." (Shemos 11:8) Although the intention
of his warning was that the Egyptian ruler himself would thus
be humbled, as did eventually happen, (Shemos 12:31), Moshe
did not explicitly say so out of respect for the king.

Rabbi Yochanan points to the prophet Eliyahu of whom it is written
that "the hand of Hashem was on Eliyahu and he girded his
loins and ran before Achav" (Kings II 18:46). Rashi explains
that the king was alone so the prophet ran ahead of him as an
escort and Radak comments that the very act of running was an
expression of respect.

Why did even such wicked vilers as Pharaoh and Achav deserve to
be honored?

Maharsha quotes the statement of our Sages in Mesechta Brachos
(58a) that earthly government is a reflection of Heavenly rule.
One who shows a lack of respect for a king below is therefore
guilty of a lack of respect fro the King above.